NFL ON FOX KICKS OFF 18th SEASON WITH WEEK 1 DOUBLEHEADER ACTION – The NFL on FOX’s journey to the NFC Championship game begins Sunday, Sept. 11 with doubleheader coverage of seven games. The action starts at 1:00 PM ET at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis as Michael Vick and the highly-touted Eagles take on Sam Bradford and the Rams. Following the infamous playoff exit, the spotlight will be on Jay Cutler as his Bears host Matt Ryan and the Falcons. A pair of up-and-coming teams meet as the Bucs welcome the Lions to Tampa. The second half of FOX Sports’ doubleheader takes us to New York, as Eli Manning and the Giants host the Redskins. Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver call the action between the NFC East rivals from MetLife Stadium. Out west, the Chargers host Donovan McNabb and the new-look Vikings. Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers invite the Seahawks to battle and Cam Newton makes his highly anticipated NFL debut against Larry Fitzgerald and the Cardinals.
Coverage begins at 12:00 PM ET with the 2011 premiere of America’s No. 1 pregame show, FOX NFL SUNDAY. Terry Bradshaw and Curt Menefee co-host the Emmy Award-winning program and are joined by analysts Howie Long, Michael Strahan and Jimmy Johnson. NFL Insider Jay Glazer is back for another season to break the latest league news and scoops from the FOX NFL SUNDAY studio while comedic prognosticator Frank Caliendo contributes his weekly “Frank’s Picks” segment. NFL rules analyst Mike Pereira returns to discuss the rule changes for the 2011 season..
STRAHAN SURPRISED NO ONE PICKED UP TIKI – Earlier today, FOX NFL SUNDAY analyst Michael Strahan reacted to former teammate Tiki Barber’s unsuccessful attempt at a comeback in the NFL. “I was surprised by it. I really was because I feel like Tiki has a few more years in him. Even when he retired, he could still play. He always took care of himself. I felt like somebody would give him a plane ticket and say ‘come in’ and give him a shot. I don’t feel like football was the reason that no one brought him in because that’s the easy part for him. I think it was the reputation thing that scared some teams away,” said Strahan who appeared on ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike” morning show.
CHAD PENNINGTON: CAM NEWTON NEEDS TO ALLOW PLAYMAKERS TO MAKE PLAYS -Analyst Chad Pennington makes his NFL on FOX debut Sunday for the Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals game at 4:15 PM ET on FOX. He says the Carolina Panthers need to take advantage of all of their playmakers to be successful. “Cam Newton needs to rely on his talent and his coaches and enjoy the moment of being a starting rookie quarterback,” said Pennington. “When I watch Cam play, he’s pretty sound fundamentally. It’s just a matter of getting comfortable and making sure he allows his playmakers around him to make plays. He’s got some offensive weapons there with both of his tight ends and wide receiver Steve Smith and running back DeAngelo Williams, so it’s not all on his shoulders.”
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11
GAME PLAY-BY-PLAY/ANALYST/SIDELINE COV. TIME
Philadelphia Eagles at St. Louis Rams Thom Brennaman, Brian Billick 46% 1:00PM
& Laura Okmin
Edward Jones Dome – St. Louis, MO
MARKETS INCLUDE: Austin, Buffalo, Dallas, Hartford, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Norfolk, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Richmond, Sacramento, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle, St. Louis, Tulsa, Washington
West Palm Beach
Atlanta Falcons at Chicago Bears Kenny Albert, Daryl Johnston 40% 1:00PM
& Tony Siragusa
Soldier Field – Chicago, IL
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Birmingham, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Denver, Greensboro, Greenville, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Louisville, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Orleans, Orlando
Phoenix, Providence, Raleigh, Salt Lake City
Detroit Lions at Tampa Bay Bucs Chris Myers & Tim Ryan 5% 1:00PM
Raymond James Stadium – Tampa, FL
MARKETS INCLUDE: Detroit, Fort Myers
New York Giants at Washington Redskins Joe Buck, Troy Aikman 63% 4:15PM
& Pam Oliver
FedEx Field – Landover, MD
MARKETS INCLUDE: Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dallas, Dayton, Fort Myers, Hartford, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans, New York, Norfolk, Orlando, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Providence, Richmond, San Antonio, San Diego, St. Louis, Tampa, Washington, West Palm Beach
Minnesota Vikings at San Diego Chargers Ron Pitts & Jim Mora 19% 4:15PM
QUALCOMM Stadium – San Diego, CA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City, Salt Lake City, Tulsa
Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers Dick Stockton & John Lynch 9% 4:15PM
Candlestick Park – San Francisco, CA
MARKETS INCLUDE: Portland, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle
Carolina Panthers at Arizona Cardinals Sam Rosen & Chad Pennington 8% 4:15PM
University of Phoenix Stadium – Glendale, AZ
MARKETS INCLUDE: Birmingham, Charlotte, Greensboro, Greenville, Phoenix, Raleigh
(source; FOX)
